Sliced bread is typically sold inside thin flexible paper or polyethylene envelopes which prevent dust and other ambient contaminants from coming into contact with the bread slices. Unless all the bread slices are consumed shortly after opening of the package, it is normally necessary to save and store the remaining slices. Packages of sliced bread often have provision for frequent opening and reclosure of the flexible envelope containing the bread slices. Access to bread re-enveloped in this manner may sometimes be inconvenient and at times even difficult, e.g., for children or handicapped persons or in high volume eating facilities such as a school or company cafeteria. Experience shows that a conveniently located and stable container of sliced bread is most useful if it also provides convenient dispensation of individual slices as needed. Unfortunately, although various apparatus for this purpose are known and commercially available, a number of problems still remain to be solved.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,568 discloses a casing inclined at a small angle to the vertical, for storing a number of bread slices removable one at a time by a tipping and sliding forward of a movable base. The removal of individual slices is effected by repeated motions of the base, which also serves to seal the bottom of the container. A hinged top of the container excludes dust from the uppermost slices stored within. However, over a period of time, these uppermost slices can lose moisture to the increasing empty space above them as more and more slices are withdrawn from below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,895 stores a sliced loaf of bread at an incline within a larger container that has a hinged front door. A rotatable vane mounted at an axis just above the front slices is turned by a user to flip out individual slices through the open front door. The device depends on gravity to cause the plurality of slices to be biased forward The stored slices may lose a significant amount of moisture from their edges while thus stored within the larger outer container surrounding the inclined portion supporting the bread slices and the last few slices probably will dry out well before the rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,418,153 discloses an inclined container open at the top for storing a plurality of slices therein, the slices being urged forwardly down the incline by means of a weight supported on freely turning rollers. All the bread slices in this device remain exposed to air and dust and thus may dry out and are not well protected.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,732,643 discloses a bread storage box within which bread slices are held against one or more of the inside wall surfaces by means of soft helical compression springs. While this may prevent drying out of the end slices, all the slices remain free to lose moisture through their edges within the relatively large container itself.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,668 discloses a two-part telescoping tray, within which a loaf of sliced bread is retained within its own thin flexible envelope of which the front end may be held squeezed tight within a narrow slot provided therefor. With this device the user would have to open up the front of the envelope surrounding the loaf of sliced bread and reach in and remove individual slices and, thereafter, reclose the front of the envelope to exclude dust and to prevent drying out.
A need therefore exists for simple apparatus that will store a quantity of sliced bread in a manner that effectively excludes dust and other ambient contaminants, permits controlled dispensation of individual slices at the user's discretion, and holds the slices in a manner that limits drying out while permitting the bread slices to "breathe" to prolong the retention of freshness. For use in busy locations, e.g., a school or work cafeteria, the device must be capable of containing more than one loaf of bread and be locatable securely for convenient access by more than one user at a given time.